Although Yo-Yo Ma is an international celebrity, one of the most famed classical musicians alive, he's too artistically curious to settle into a lifetime of playing nothing but the Western classical music that made him a household name. For the renowned cellist, the SILK ROAD is one that weaves its musical way through the traditions of many different cultures. Ma's cello is joined here by Indian instruments (tabla), traditional Asian instruments (erhu, pipa), and other Western instrumentation (piano, trombone, etc.). Over the course of SILK ROAD JOURNEYS: WHEN STRANGERS MEET, this international assemblage manages to find its way through everything from "Mongolian Traditional Long Song" (featuring the keening vocals of Ganbaatar Khongorzul) to Finnish and Persian traditional music. The only thing as striking as this ensemble's international eclecticism is the skill brought to bear on each of these disparate pieces.